La Guardia, Newark Land At Bottom of Airport Comfort Survey

American Airlines jets rest near the terminal at New York’s La Guardia Airport.

The New York region’s three major airports come up short in basic amenities for travelers, a survey by a group angling for new investment in the facilities says.

Newark Liberty International Airport and La Guardia Airport finished at the very bottom of a survey of the creature comforts of the 20 busiest airports in the country, according to the Global Gateway Alliance, which lobbies for improvements to the airports.

The group judged the airports on whether or not they offered four attributes:

— Free Wi-Fi access for passengers

— A rail connection to the nearby city center

— Play areas for kids

— And cell-phone waiting lots for those waiting to pick up incoming passengers.

La Guardia — the airport, which is slated for a substantial overhaul by its operator, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey — has none of those amenities. The airport was rated the worst out of all 20, while Newark, which offers only a rail connection that requires changing trains to New York, was ranked 19th.

John F. Kennedy International Airport, like five other airports, lacked just one of the offerings: in JFK’s case, free Wi-Fi.

“Anyone who uses our airports knows that they are way behind the best in the nation, when it comes to customer service and 21st Century amenities,” said Joe Sitt, the chairman of the alliance and CEO of Thor Equities. “As delays and security lines mean people have to spend more time at the airport, some simple fixes like free Wi-Fi for busy business travelers and play areas for families are just basic quality of life necessities.”

“The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and its aviation partners have committed more than $6 billion in improvements to JFK, Newark Liberty and LaGuardia airports in recent years, including upgrades to terminals, taxiway improvements to reduce on-the-ground delays and additional customer service representatives to help passengers,” said Ron Marsico, a Port Authority spokesman. “The agency is planning new terminals at LaGuardia and Newark Liberty, exploring a direct PATH rail link to Newark Liberty and reviewing its existing Wi-Fi contract to see if changes can be made.”

JFK was recently named the best airport in the Americas by the website Frequent Business Traveler, he said.

The prodding from private interests to improve air travel conditions in New York is matched by the desire of some at the Port Authority to speed up overhauls.

On Friday, the Port approved a list of four qualified bidders for a privately financed project to rebuild La Guardia’s dated Central Terminal Building. The work on that terminal, long in need of upgrades and prone to leaking roofs on rainy days, is to be followed — if the Port can find the financing — by upgrades at Newark’s Terminal A.